The highest IIT package on record is ₹4.3 crore — an IIT Madras computer-science student hired by Jane Street as a quantitative trader in Hong Kong (2024-25). It's a real number, and it's also deeply misleading: it went to one student, it's an international posting, and almost every other crore-plus offer across the IITs is the same story — overseas, quant or CS, a single outlier. Here is the honest, per-IIT crore-club, the figures sourced, and the gap between the headline and what a typical graduate actually signs.
What is the highest package at IITs in 2026?
For the latest fully-reported season (2024-25), the headline figures cluster between ₹2 crore and ₹2.4 crore at most top IITs, with IIT Madras' ₹4.3 crore the clear outlier. Crucially, nearly all of these are international postings from trading or US-tech firms — the domestic highs sit far lower (around ₹1–1.5 crore). One caveat that tells you everything: IIT Bombay now refuses to disclose highest CTCs at all, publishing only its median, precisely because the crore-headline coverage distorts expectations.
| IIT | Highest (2024-25) | Type | Role / recruiter | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madras | ₹4.3 Cr | International (Hong Kong) | CSE quant — Jane Street | CollegeDekho |
| Guwahati | ₹2.4 Cr | International | — | iQuanta |
| (BHU) Varanasi | ₹2.2 Cr | Not stated | — | Careers360 |
| Bombay | ~₹2.2 Cr † | International (Amsterdam) | Quant — Da Vinci | Careers360 |
| Kharagpur | ₹2.14 Cr | Not stated | — | Careers360 |
| Roorkee | ₹2.05 Cr (intl); ₹1.5 Cr (dom) | International | Tech — Databricks | CollegeDekho |
| Delhi | ~₹2.0 Cr (intl); ~₹1 Cr (dom) | International | — | CollegeDekho |
| Indore | ₹1.37 Cr | Not stated | — | Shiksha |
| Hyderabad | ₹66.1 L | Domestic | — | CollegeDunia |
| Kanpur | Not officially confirmed ‡ | International (reported) | — | CollegeDekho |
† IIT Bombay officially discloses only medians; the ₹2.2 Cr figure is media-reported. ‡ IIT Kanpur's top figure is disputed — a ₹5.5 Cr Jane Street claim circulates but is uncorroborated, so we don't state a crore number. Domestic-vs-international is marked "not stated" where sources give the figure but not the posting.
How big is the "crore club" really?
Small. The crore-plus offers are a handful of students per campus, overwhelmingly international: IIT Bombay had 22 students cross ₹1 crore and 78 international offers accepted; IIT Kharagpur had 9 students above ₹1 crore (25 international); IIT Guwahati had 11 (21 international); and IIT Delhi reported 50+ crore-plus offers in Phase 1 (Careers360). As Careers360 put it, these packages "are secured by a limited number of students, mainly from quant and high-frequency trading firms such as Jane Street and Optiver."
Why the headline package is misleading
Because it's one student, and it's not a salary you can compare to anything. The crore figure is an international CTC — it bundles relocation, sign-on and stock — and it lands almost exclusively in CSE + quant/HFT roles. Set it next to the median (the typical graduate) and the gap is brutal: IIT Madras' ₹4.3 crore is roughly 20× its ~₹19–21 lakh B.Tech median; IIT Bombay's reported ₹2.2 crore is ~11× its ₹20 lakh median. That's exactly why IIT Bombay stopped publishing highest CTCs.
For the full, honest distribution — per-IIT medians, placement rates, and the branch-beats-brand reality — see our IIT placements 2026 data.
What do students actually say about crore packages?
The reality behind the headlines is dissected candidly in student communities. A 332-comment r/Btechtards thread, "Reason behind 2.5 crore package," breaks down why these numbers exist (international CTC, quant economics, stock), and a 390-comment "Joining Quant, AMA" from someone entering the field lays out how rare and specific that path is. The recurring message: celebrate the outlier, but plan for the median.
How this is sourced
- Highest figures are media-reported, not institute-official in most cases — several IITs (notably Bombay) now publish only medians. Treat each crore number as a single outlier offer, not a representative one.
- Almost all are international postings (Hong Kong, Amsterdam, US) in quant/HFT or US-tech — domestic highs are far lower.
- 2025-26 is in progress: early Phase-1 figures (e.g. IIT Kharagpur ~₹2.44 Cr) are provisional, not final-season numbers.
Last updated: June 2026. Figures are for the 2024-25 placement season (the latest complete), refreshed each cycle. Proud of your campus? Shop IIT merch, including IIT Madras gear.